Natural hazards · South Laurel

South Laurel, MD natural hazards

Most of the natural-hazard damage FEMA expects in South Laurel comes from inland flooding, and overall the risk is very low for a U.S. community. Flood insurance has paid 5 claims here since 1995.

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 · OpenFEMA claims, aid & declarations

Expected damage

How exposed is South Laurel?

Very low

vs. U.S. communities

FEMA expects yearly storm and flood damage to homes and buildings in South Laurel to be higher than in 2% of U.S. communities, mostly from inland flooding.

Inland flooding46%Heat waves14%Tornadoes12%Hurricanes9%Earthquakes5%Everything else14%

By hazard

What South Laurel faces

Each hazard’s share of the damage FEMA expects here, and how that compares with the rest of the country.

Inland flooding

46% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 6% of U.S. places

Recorded about 4 times a year in the area

Heat waves

14% of expected damage

Well below average · higher than 3% of U.S. places

Recorded about 6 times a year in the area

Tornadoes

12% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 33% of U.S. places

Hurricanes

9% of expected damage

Above average · higher than 72% of U.S. places

Recorded about once every 11 years in the area

Earthquakes

5% of expected damage

Below average · higher than 46% of U.S. places

Lower here

HailIce stormsWinter weatherCold wavesWildfireLandslidesStrong windLightning

Not a risk here

Coastal floodingDroughtAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.

Flood insurance claims

Does South Laurel flood?

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in South Laurel, from FEMA’s records.

5paid claims since 1995

$36Kpaid to owners

0homes flooded more than once

19952026

Biggest named events

Hurricane Sandy: 1 claim, $5K

of all homes
are insured

No community discount. South Laurel isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Prince George's County.

Disasters that hit South Laurel

Federal disasters declared here

None of the disasters declared for Prince George's County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching South Laurel itself in FEMA’s records.

Brought FEMA money into South LaurelDeclared for Prince George's County only

Prince George's County has had 16 natural disasters declared since 1953, most often winter storms and hurricanes.

Around South Laurel

South Laurel and the towns around it

Very lowLowModerateHighVery high

South Laurelmostly inland floodingVery low

Maryland Citymostly inland floodingVery low

Laurelmostly inland floodingVery low

Konterramostly inland floodingVery low

About these numbers

How to read this page

An average, not a forecastFEMA’s National Risk Index estimates the damage 18 kinds of natural hazards cause in a typical year, from decades of records and models. A quiet decade can follow a bad year.

Compared by rate“Higher than N%” compares yearly damage as a share of what’s here, so a big city isn’t rated riskier just for having more buildings. South Laurel covers 7 census tracts, combined by population.

Money that reached townFlood claims are matched to South Laurel’s own flood-insurance community (here, the census tracts inside it); household aid to the registrant’s city; repair grants to South Laurel. FEMA’s model follows property values, so a place that recently lost many homes can rate lower than it feels.

FEMA’s expected losses across South Laurel total about $2.7M a year, counting buildings, people and crops.

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025); OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Census tracts: U.S. Census Bureau.